NBC's Todd: GOP 'Begging the Media to Say It's Obama That Started the Sequester'

After dismissing the argument that President Obama was to blame for the sequester as "dumb" on Thursday's MSNBC Daily Rundown, NBC political director Chuck Todd further mocked the notion on Friday's program: "Republicans
have been playing, well, an inside game, the inside the Beltway game,
trying to build support for their position against the cuts and begging
the media to say it's Obama that started the sequester, not them." [Listen to the audio]

Earlier in the show, Todd gleefully touted: "The White House PR
campaign meanwhile, has depended on local headlines...on sequester being
bad enough to apply political pressure on Republican lawmakers at
home." After playing a clip of Republican Virginia Congressman Scott
Riggell doing an interview with Newport News NBC affiliate WAVY about
the budget cuts, Todd eagerly pointed out: "...look at what they're
describing it as. The local reporter described it as 'the monster that
is sequestration.'"

Todd pointed a finger of blame squarely at conservatives: "The
automatic cuts are going to take place, at least in the short-term. The
reasoning we've heard from both Democrats and Republicans is simply
Republicans need the sequester to go through in order to show to the
base that they're willing to fight the President."

Here is a portion of Todd's February 22 sequester coverage:

9:05AM ET

CHUCK TODD: Some Republican governors have complained about the impact
defense and domestic cuts are going to have in their home states. For
instance, Virginia's Bob McDonnell wrote a letter to the President this
week, sounding the alarm about "the potential devastation that looming
cuts to defense due to sequestration will have on national security and
on the economic well-being of the citizens of the commonwealth."

The White House PR campaign meanwhile, has depended on local headlines
like that and others on sequester being bad enough to apply political
pressure on Republican lawmakers at home. And next week, they're going
after what appears to be a final pressure point, the defense cuts that
are coming in Republican districts. On Monday, the President heads to
Virginia to visit Newport News ship building, to highlight the impact
that sequester will have if it isn't stopped, hoping to apply pressure
to members of Congress, like, oh say, Virginia Republican Scott Riggell.

SCOTT RIGGELL [REP. R-VA]: This is not a theoretical problem like it is up in Washington. This is reality.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And the reality is Congressman Riggell is one
of the members of Congress that voted for the Balanced Budget Act that
created the monster now known as sequestration.

RIGGELL: The ramifications of it are already rippling through our
local economy and our defense readiness, and really across the country.

TODD: WAVY, that's Newport News, that's the Norfolk area, WAVY, look
at what they're describing it as. The local reporter described it as
"the monster that is sequestration."

Here's something everyone should brace for. The automatic cuts are
going to take place, at least in the short-term. The reasoning we've
heard from both Democrats and Republicans is simply Republicans need the
sequester to go through in order to show to the base that they're
willing to fight the President.

And though the President called House Speaker John Boehner and Senate
Leader – Republican Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday, it was clear that
both sides are already positioning for what is the next round of budget
negotiations over the all-around budget resolution to keep the
government funded and the political fallout when the sequester does
eventually take place.

The President diagnosed the other party's problems rather than
suggesting solutions, interestingly enough, in an interview with Al
Sharpton.

BARACK OBAMA: Their basic view is that nothing is important enough to
raise taxes on wealthy individuals or corporations. And they would
prefer to see these kinds of cuts that could slow down our recovery over
closing tax loopholes. And that's the thing that binds their party
together at this point.

TODD: And in another interview with radio host Joe Madison, the
President acknowledged that he expects the cuts will likely go into
effect.

OBAMA: In terms of what your listenership can do, obviously just
insisting to their members of Congress, especially if they live in a
Republican district, that this is a really bad idea. But I'll be honest
with you right now, it's not clear to me that the Republicans are going
to agree to turn the sequester off despite the fact that 75% of the
American people agree with me, in terms of the approach, and disagree
with them.

(...)

9:45AM ET

TODD: Alright, the President has been using his outside game to sell
his position on sequester, talking to local TV affiliates, and there's
radio shows, surrounding himself with first responders. Meanwhile
Republicans have been playing, well, an inside game, the inside the
Beltway game, trying to build support for their position against the
cuts and begging the media to say it's Obama that started the sequester,
not them.

-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.

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